AfriForum questions Joburg water levy hike of 65.6%

FILE: Droplets of water dripping from a tap.

Lobby group AfriForum is calling on the City of Johannesburg to clarify why it’s necessary to increase the current water management levy by 65.6%.

If implemented, the water levy would rise from R65.08 to R107.47 per month for domestic users.

AfriForum’s advisor for Environmental Affairs, Marais de Vaal, says residents are being forced to carry the cost of municipal failures through rising fixed charges.

“Joburg would only blandly say the cost is to maintain the water network and the cost of installation. There’s no way for us to determine, okay, but this is how much it will be for replacing old pipes, and this is the cost. ”

De Vaal adds, “and so, like any municipal. The group warns that this proposed increase may be unlawful and could unfairly burden residents who already pay their bills. For electricity, you need a cost of supply that says this is the cost of buying electricity from Eskom, and this is the cost of distributing it to the network, and to maintain our infrastructure. A similar principle applies to these water tariffs. And looking at the documents that’s open for public participation at the moment, this rational link between the enormous increase and why it’s necessary is missing.”